Inaugural Address
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| Rector Waldron and other members of the Board of Visitors; Secretary Sgro, and other outstanding elected officials; President Dedmon; distinguished clergy and other platform associates; dedicated colleagues on the faculty and staff; loyal students and alumni; honored guests; ladies and gentlemen: I wish to impress on each of you my sincere gratitude for your warm words of welcome and encouragement. Because we share a common commitment to the development of potential for leadership and service, I am heartened by your presence, as well as your expression of support on this occasion. I am particularly pleased to see so many of our students in attendance today. Thank you for coming! And to our University choir and our other talented musicians, I applaud you for your marvelous gift of song! And I commend the several gifted artists who composed musical selections to commemorate this inauguration. I also salute the ROTC color guard for presenting the colors with such precision. I come before you now to accept the charge, the enormous challenge, and the distinct privilege of leading Radford University into the future. I have sworn before this assembly, the Almighty God, the same solemn oath taken by each of my four predecessors. But the significance of this inaugural event extends beyond the installation of a fifth president. It is time of celebration and dedication. In celebrating the anniversary of Radford University's founding, its proud history will be observed henceforth through an Annual Founder's Day Convention on the eve of Homecoming Weekend. And so it is a time for reunion and remembrance ... an appropriate time for some reflection upon our university ... what a past, and present, and to come. Naturally, what is to come cannot be anticipated wholly apart from what has been. Nor would we have it so. In order to understand the present and plan for the future, we must recall our history. Traditions built over time will not be forgotten as we approach a new millennium. In 1910, legislation was enacted by Virginia's General Assembly which established the State Normal and Industrial School at Radford, presently Radford University. In the course of the past 85 years, its emergence as a vibrant, full-service university of superior quality has far exceeded anyone's dreams. The university's evolution supports the view that great accomplishments often have humble beginnings. Who in 1910 could have envisioned what surrounds us this afternoon? Some 8,700 students are here. A careful blend of historic and modern structures grace this scenic campus of 177 acres in the heart of out progressive city ... a city known for its civic pride and friendly people. Selu, the University's conservancy, offers an additional 376 acres located five miles from the main campus. It is an invaluable outdoor educational resource which accommodates recreational activities, field studies in the environmental sciences, and a retreat for the creative arts. We stand at the entrance of a recently expanded library with holdings of more than 400,000 volumes, and adjacent to a newly completed facility which houses many of the university's administrative, financial and enrollment management services. While the details of this picture were not foreseen in the institution's formative years, neither is it accidental. It represents the aspirations, talent and perseverance of earlier leadership. It is they and their associates who made it all possible. So, I take this opportunity to pay tribute to those whom I am privileged to follow: Dr. John Preston McConnell, Dr. David W. Peters, Dr. Charles K. Martin Jr., and most recently, Dr. Donald N. Dedmon who, along with Mrs. Dedmon, honors us with his presence here today. The long successful tenure of each, distinguished by effective and dedicated presidential leadership, has elevated our university to successively higher levels of attainment and prominence. There is at least one other whose name should not be omitted from the list of notables ... one who gave much of her life to this institution. Let us not forget Dr. M'Ledge Moffett. The consummate Dean of Women, she served Radford College with steadfast loyalty and uncommon devotion from 1913 until her death in 1969. No one served the college longer, knew its students better, or loved them more than Dean Moffett. I am fully aware of the noble, relentless quest for excellence by these outstanding educators ... dreamers, torch bearers, courageous leaders whose distinct personalities and contributions have left such a profound and lasting imprint on Radford University. My primary objective is to uphold the high standards of my predecessors, and to build upon their accomplishments. Therefore, I commence my tenure with a keen sense of anticipation and enthusiasm ... but also with humility, because I have an appreciation for the precedents set by others who have led this institution. And I have a healthy respect for the expectations, the demands and the challenges immediately and in the coming years. In a real sense, this gathering marks the dawn of a new era for Radford University, and we can add another chapter in the writing of its history. Let the record show that an alliance is formed between the best of those who represent its past, present, and future, and who now come together as partners in progress. If, today, I were granted one inaugural wish for you and me, I would be tempted to wish that it could always be Homecoming in 1995 at Radford, and that we could be here together. Yet, this University is not a static entity, but a robust, dynamic enterprise. Its change is not only inevitable, but desirable as well; for without change, there can be no progress. So let us not merely expect it and accept it as a consequence, let us also create it and manage it ... Manage it in ways that move the university in positive directions. When an institution is motivated by excellence, success follows ... Any progressive organization must make a bold decision (and reaffirm it daily) to strive for excellence rather than tolerate mediocrity. A decision to pursue excellence is to follow a hard, demanding master; and, to believe otherwise is to be deceived. Matthew Arnold cautions us that "excellence dwells among rocks hardly accessible, and it would almost wear out the heart of a man to reach her." These words convey truth and meaning for this institution, and for those who support and care for it. Yet, Radford University's commitment to the pursuit of excellence is clearly evidenced in a number of eminently successful academic programs ... some of which can and should become pre-eminent. In that regard, our university must establish undisputed centers of excellence in the health sciences (with emphasis on fitness and wellness); the visual and performing arts (offering independent study and enrichment programs for artistically talented students); international education (an interdisciplinary program which promotes cultural exchange and international trade); economic development, specializing primarily in serving small and medium-size businesses; and of course teacher preparation, one of this institution's historic strengths, yet one which presents new challenges in contemporary and future society. Though Radford University cannot be all things to all people, because of its impressive record of accomplishment and vast potential for continued significant progress, it can be many things to many people. We need to accept the fact that we can be an exemplary model for the nation, if we genuinely choose to be. Radford University is determined to assume a major, distinctive role in providing its constituents, particularly those of the Commonwealth's southwestern region, with educational opportunities that enrich their lives intellectually, culturally and economically. And I say to you today, with an abiding faith and fervent conviction, Radford University will take its place as one of the nation's premiere comprehensive universities. In accomplishing this goal, academic programs and services must be our highest priority. In order to succeed, it is imperative that Radford offer strong, attractive courses of study. To that end, our efforts will be aimed at bringing together the best minds working with the best resources in the best environment we can create. I would extend that list to include having such vital and necessary qualities as optimism and humor, qualities that Radford people are known to possess in abundance. In Samuel Johnson's words, "I started out in life to be a philosopher, but failed ... because cheerfulness kept breaking in." We at Radford University make no attempt to conceal our cheerful disposition nor do we deny our positive, "can-do" attitude! With the presentation of the Presidential Medallion, Dr. Dedmon has, symbolically, conferred upon me the mantle of the presidency, and entrusted me (in a way) with the "keys" to the university. So, in keeping with the tradition and the definition, I am reminded that keys have a dual function ... they can be used to lock the door and keep something out, or to open the door and let something in. Today, I am charged with the task of using the keys properly. I accept them to lock the doors against pessimism, jealousy, prejudice and hostility. I accept the keys, and I gladly share them with you, so that, together, we will open the doors of cooperation, opportunity, and knowledge ... open them to all who might in turn, open their hearts and minds to the unique and remarkable experience that Radford University has to offer! And, together, let us work toward building a university as broad as human endeavor, and as high as human aspiration. I would like to close with this quote from the writer, Alan Ashley Pitt:
Yes, we are all different; but our differences can complement each other...and the whole can be greater than the sum of its parts. To the student body, faculty, Board of Visitors, alumni and friends ...I thank you for this rare and wondrous opportunity to serve. It gives my life a special meaning ... a special purpose. I solemnly pledge to you the very best of my efforts. In so doing, I hasten to add that I need your support...I need your talents, but most of all, in these critical times, I need your spirit of mutual helpfulness ... and your prayers. Thank you and God Bless You. |